Read Ruffle My Feathers (The Seven - Book 2) for Free Online Page B

private quarters."
    Nevaeh nodded and did as Gabriel suggested. To her surprise, it worked. Within a minute the frozen people were awake, and being restrained by the Preterhumans.
    As soon as she'd finished Gabriel took her hand. "We need to fly."
    "Fly? Why? Where?"
    "Somewhere private and quiet."
    She nodded and let him lead her from the room. Neither spoke until they walked outside. He started to lift her into his arms but she stepped back. "Do you think this will work? And how is this happening, anyway?"
    "I know it will work if you'll trust me and I don't know how it happens. You're doing it, which means you're not entirely human or at least not like the normals. We'll figure it out, I promise, but first we must do this. Augustus needs to know who is responsible if he is to salvage this accord with the humans."
    "Okay. Let's go."
    He lifted her into his arms and took to the air. Nevaeh wished she wasn't worried about everyone back at the estate and what was going to happen because the experience was incredible.
    Gabriel flew along the coast for what seemed like miles and landed on the sand beside a small cottage set back from the beach. It was a wood-frame house painted a light yellow with white shutters and a porch that looked out at the water.
    "Oh, this is so pretty!" She looked around as Gabriel carried her across the yard and up the steps.
    "Yes, it is."
    "Do you know the people who live here?"
    He chuckled. "It's mine."
    "Yours?"
    "You sound surprised." He put her down on the front porch.
    "I guess I am. A little."
    "Why?" He stripped off his tuxedo coat, removed his tie, and loosened the top two buttons of his shirt. Then he took a seat on the padded wicker loveseat and patted the cushion beside him.
    "I don't know. I guess I thought you were like – you know the rest of the Seven. Rich."
    Gabriel laughed again. "So I'd prefer a palace like Asha's?"
    "Well yeah."
    "Sit, Heaven-spelled-backwards."
    Nevaeh took a seat, tucking one leg beneath her and angling to face him. Gabriel stretched out his legs and propped them on the porch railing. "Having a lot of money doesn't make you something other than what you are."
    "So Angels don’t care about money and fancy houses and cars?"
    "Some do. I don't."
    "Why?"
    "Because that's not what brings happiness."
    Nevaeh watched him for a few moments. "You're definitely a bird of a different feather, aren't you?"
    Gabriel shrugged. "Not really. Augustus lives on a ranch in Texas – land he bought over two hundred years ago. Connor lives in on a ranch in Colorado, or sometimes in Florida. We're just like you in that respect. We all gravitate toward a certain lifestyle, one that suits us."
    "Some of us don't have the option to choose."
    "Oh you do. It's just a matter of how important it is to you. If you're set on living in a certain place and certain kind of home, then most people will do whatever it takes to make it happen."
    "If it's within their power to do so."
    "Yes, true. But that's a discussion for another day. Right now we need to get to the task at hand."
    "And how do we do that?"
    He nudged her head onto his shoulder then raised his free hand. A pinprick of light appeared, hovering above his palm. As she watched, it grew until it was the size of a golf-ball, transparent but swimming with light.
    "We're going to go inside this bubble."
    "Inside? It's gonna need to be a lot larger."
    "And it will be. Once we're inside, where we are now will vanish. All you'll see is what happened tonight. We'll start at the time we entered the ballroom. I want you to pay attention, move slowly through the environment and if you see anything that seems out of place or suspicious, I want you to tell me."
    "Okay."
    "All righty, then here we go. Watch the bubble."
    She did and it swelled quickly. She could have sworn that she felt an electric tingle pass through her as the bubble grew to encompass them. It seemed to continue to grow until she felt as if they were sitting in the middle of a